title: Clinical factors associated with a Candida albicans Germ Tube Antibody positive test in Intensive Care Unit patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poor outcomes of invasive candidiasis (IC) are associated with the difficulty in establishing the microbiological diagnosis at an early stage. New scores and laboratory tests have been developed in order to make an early therapeutic intervention in an attempt to reduce the high mortality associated with invasive fungal infections. Candida albicans IFA IgG has been recently commercialized for germ tube antibody detection (CAGTA). This test provides a rapid and simple diagnosis of IC (84.4% sensitivity and 94.7% specificity). The aim of this study is to identify the patients who could be benefited by the use of CAGTA test in critical care setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, cohort, observational multicentre study was carried out in six medical/surgical Intensive care units (ICU) of tertiary-care Spanish hospitals. Candida albicans Germ Tube Antibody test was performed twice a week if predetermined risk factors were present, and serologically demonstrated candidiasis was considered if the testing serum dilution was ≥ 1:160 in at least one sample and no other microbiological evidence of invasive candidiasis was found.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three critically ill non-neutropenic patients (37.7% post surgery) were included. Twenty-two patients (41.5%) had CAGTA-positive results, none of them with positive blood culture for Candida. Neither corrected colonization index nor antifungal treatment had influence on CAGTA results. This finding could corroborate that the CAGTA may be an important biomarker to distinguish between colonization and infection in these patients. The presence of acute renal failure at the beginning of the study was more frequent in CAGTA-negative patients. Previous surgery was statistically more frequent in CAGTA-positive patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study identified previous surgery as the principal clinical factor associated with CAGTA-positive results and emphasises the utility of this promising technique, which was not influenced by high Candida colonization or antifungal treatment. Our results suggest that detection of CAGTA may be important for the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis in surgical patients admitted in ICU.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario La Fe, (Av Campanar, 21), Valencia, (46009), Spain. peman_jav@gva.es
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pemán
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zaragoza
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Quindós
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alkorta
authors.forename: María S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Cuétara
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Camarena
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Giménez
authors.forename: Estrella
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martín-Mazuelos
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Linares-Sicilia
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pontón
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000097:blood*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000276:immunology*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009172:Mycology / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal